Foot-guard.



L. P. LEARMAN & E. M. SOON. FOOT GUARD.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 22, 1911.

l 5 1 QSB Patented Jan. 28, 1913.

i I H W LOUIS F. LEAF/MAN, OF ST. FAUL, AND EDITH M. COON,

F MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA.

FOOT-GU19.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented da. 28, ltllft.

Application filed December 22, m1 1. derial No. cornea.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that we, Louis F. Lmnnan and EDITH Coon, citizens of the United States, residing at St. Paul, in the county of Ramsey and State of Minnesota, and at Minneapolis, in the'county of Henuepin and State of Minnesota, respectively, have invented a new and useful Foot-Guard. of which the following is a specification.

to @ur invention relates to satetyblocks or foot guards for railway tracks, to prevent the feet of persons and animals from getting caught in the sharp angles of crossing rails. frogs and'switchesoi the tracks; and the an object is to provide a very simple and inexpensive device of said kind.

In the accompanying drawings,-Figure 1 is a plan view of a main rail and side traclr'railand a butt-switch and our foot so guard applied thereto.

view of a railway frog with adjacent rails and a split switch, and our device applied to various parts thereof in a modified form. Fig. 3 is a section on the line M Fig. 1. Ft Fig. 4 is a top view of the ard plate shown in the middle of Fig. 3. ig. 5 is an inner side elevation of the modified guard plate shown in several places in Fig. 2. Fig.

7 6 is' the plate shown in Fig. 5viewed' from dd its lower edge. Fig. 7 is a section on either of the lines o-c,dd, or 'e-:e Fig. 2. Fig. 8 is a section about as on the line 12-41 Fig.

1, butwith some modifications.

Referring to numerals, it will be seen that in Figs. 1, 3 and a, when a track has a fixed main rail 1, a fixed side track rail 2, and a switch rail 3 adapted to be moved by aswitch rod 4 into line with either the main rail or the side to rail, the-angle between the latter two rails is guarded by a late 5 having holes 7 for spikes 6 to be riven into theties 8. Said plate 5 is. tapered to one end according to the spread of the angle between the rails, and is Y db formed with outwardlyfleaning side portions o'r plates 9, which fit with their upper edges under the adjacent edges of the tread of each rail, as best shown at 10 in Figs. 3 and 8, while the ends or said side plates are rovided with angular portions 11, fitting etween the base flange 12 and the tread 13 of the rail, andbearing against" the central web it of same. v

In Fig. 8 it is shown that the level bottom portion 5 ma t be lower than the wings 11, so as to rest irectly npon the ties.

Fig. 2 is a plan- -link 22 connecting them. In said View,

to the drawing'by reference,

said View it is also shown that if the guard plate happens to get into a place where there are fish-plates 15, the latter find ample spat-e betweenthe guard plate and the center web of the rail: and it' convenient and so desired the bolts 16 holding the fish-plates, may be passed also through the inclined ortion 9 of the guard plate, and in so doing washers or bushings like 17 may be employed to fill between the fish plate and the guard plate to prevent the bolt from bend ing the latter when its nut is drawn up tight.

The arrangement just described as to the fish plate. or plates, is equally as well applicable in Fig. 7, although in the latter view, and inFigs. 2, 5 and 6, the guard plate is made in two sections or independent plates, 9". and provided with holes 18 (see ig. 5) through which are passed bolts 16 (see Fig. 7), by which each plate section is secured to one of the rails adjacent a dangerous angle of the rails, but which angle is subject to spreading and closing by the operation of the switch, as in Fig. 2 when the switch tongues or'rails 19 swing on their pivots 20, being operated by the rod 21 Iand 1g. 2, the construction of the frog 23, main track 24 and branch tracks 25 and 26 will be understood without further description.

dn Figs. 5, 6, and 7, the single plate, as it maybe termed, 9", is stiffened by a longitudinal rib 27, preferably along its lower. edge, said rib contacting with the center web 14 3f the rail,cthe same as the end portions 11 o. h

Inthe use of the device, it is obvious that whether two single lates as 9" are used, one at each side of a angerous angle, or two such platesare united by the base plate or the result is thesame, in that a M haped form is given to the space and thereby any foot of man or beast getting into the space may be removed again with but little efl'ort. The only difference being. as already stated, that the divided plate permits of spreading and closing the parts to which the plate is secured, andwherc no such spreadin is involved, the two plates 97 may preferab y be united into a single body, as in Figs. 1, 3 and 4.

What we claim is:

1. The improved toot guard for frogs, switches and the like, comprisin two plates arranged to stand below the e ges of the treads of two laterally adjoining rails and converging with their lower edges toward each other, each of said plates having angular end portions adapted to fit between the tread and the base flange of the rail and against the center web thereof, and means for holding said plates in said position.

.2. The improved foot guard forfrogs, switches and the like, comprising two plates adapted to stand below the adjacent edges of the treads of two rails and converging with their lower edges toward each other, and means for holding said plates in said position, said plates having each along its lower edge a horizontally disposed rib adapted to bear against the center web of the rail, and angular end portions adapted to tit between the tread and the base flange of the rail and to bear against the center web thereof, said holding means for the plates involving bolts passed through the plates and through the center web of therail.

3. The combination with a rail-joint having fish-plates, of a foot guarding plate covering the fish plate of one side 'of the joint and fitting with one edge up under the edge 1,ou1,42s

of the tread of the rail and'slanting with its lower edge awa from the rail, and means for holding sai guard platein said position, said guard plate having angular end portions bearin against the center web of the rail and mg bet-ween the base vflange and the tread of the rail beyond the ends of the fish-plate.

4. The combination with arail joint having fish plates and, bolts therethrou h, of a guard plate covering one of the fi lates and having holes for the bolts by whio the fish-plate is secured, and angular ends fit-' ting between the upper and lower flanges of the rail and bearing against the center web of the rail when the upper edge of the plate fits up under the edge of the upper flan or tread of the rail, and bushings on the olts between the fish plate and the guard plate. .In testimony whereof we aflix our signatures, in presence of two witnesses.

LOUIS F. LEARMAN. EDITH M. COON. Witneases:

A. M. CaRLsnN; A. E. CARLSEN. 

